MINE!
by SailorSilvanesti
Summary: "Their eyes met for a heated moment; from across the room, two sets of eyes bored into one another, staking claim over those before them" Something sinister has befallen Iolaus and Gabrielle at a chance meeting...can Xena and Hercules save them in time?


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters from both Xena and Hercules: Iolaus, Gabrielle, Alcmene, Ares, Discord, Aphrodite, Hercules and/or Xena...I just borrowed them to write a strange fic...^^**

**A random little thought I had at 2 in the morning, originally about 200 words...I started typing and the whole thing became more complicated, eventually 11 pages long...Please Enjoy!^^**

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><p><strong>MINE!<strong>

**~)0(~**

Their eyes met for a heated moment; from across the room, two sets of eyes bored into one another, staking claim over those before them, and assessing the generalised threat level posed by their counterpart…

Oblivious to the tension that lapped in waves about the room, two heroes regarded another with open respect; it had been a long time…

The Son of Zeus was the first to move, a broad smile coming easily to his sun-kissed features, "Xena, it's been a long time…can't say I'm not pleased to see you, but, who's this beautiful maiden?" he asked jovially, pointedly taking in the shorter blonde woman standing slightly behind the Warrior Princess. Breaking contact with her competition, Gabrielle looked up and beamed charmingly as the Demi-God's piercing blue eyes swept to her…

"This is Gabrielle. I'd like to say I found her…but it's more a case of, _she_ found _me_." A small smile played about her lips as her shorter companion unconsciously allowed the faintest tinges of a blush to spread up her cheeks, gently enhancing her beautiful features… "She's…playing the role of my conscience, my guide to right and wrong, for a while…at least, until I get it right by myself." The warrior freely admitted.

Clapping the shrinking blonde on the back so hard it caused Gabrielle's knees to buckle slightly, and the shorter female to stagger a few steps; the Warrior's piercing blue eyes danced over those in the room about her…instantly mistaking the strange gaze she threw…_him_…and gently attempted to draw her companion's attention to her again, by standing off to the blonde's side, close…

As Gabrielle smiled up at her and softly whispered, "_Don't say that Xena, you're doing so well…you don't need me to do that…_" Xena beamed with unabashed pride at the modesty in her tone, Gabrielle really didn't seem to understand how important she was to her…

Turning her emotion-filled beam from the blonde, she focused it on another; communicating the pride and…something _else_…at _Hercules._

The Blonde's eyes narrowed…

~)0(~

Likewise did those of Iolaus…even as he was introduced by Hercules, "Gabrielle, it is an honour to meet you," Hercules bowed and kissed her hand. "This, as Xena knows, is my oldest and truest…_friend_, you could even say brother… Iolaus…"

A meaty hand pushed him forwards –as only a mortal imbued with Godly strength can-, until he was face-to-face with his adversary… Above their heads, a strange look –almost a query- seemed to pass between the Warrior Princess and the Son of Zeus.

An understanding…a silent consensus was reached, a nod…and their eyes fell apart from the other's, straight downwards…to the silent ones…

~)0(~

Something was going on, Xena was being strangely distant and cold…for her; the comforting taller presence was no longer warming her back, but off to the side, just too far to feel anything. Gabrielle found she missed it…missed the warmth and security it usually gave her, having Xena at her back in all situations…

Shocked at the sudden, overwhelming desire for the provocatively leather-clad warrior to move closer, for her to be there when she turned…it was over-powering her senses…there was a strange fear as she caught a glimpse of what passed between those above them. Heart leaping as Xena's cool, blue gaze fell down upon her form…

She focussed coolly on the one before her…

His eyes, this…_Iolaus' _eyes were full of something that bordered on hatred, lust and love, as he beheld Xena in the instant before the brunette warrior turned her gaze to him… Gabrielle didn't like it…Xena was _hers_…

Tensing all her muscles as if to fight, her hands gripped at the staff she always carried by her side menacingly…likewise, his hands strayed to the hilt of his sword…

If she had to fight, she would, she-…

~)0(~

Placing a hand on the tense shoulder before him, Hercules squeezed affectionately, with the tiniest hint of warning; Iolaus responded by relaxing, hand trailing from the sword-hilt; the shorter, blonde male turned and sighed, allowing Gabrielle full access to his back…which is something that made him even braver than Hercules himself. For the son of Zeus would _never_ have been inclined to provide such a broad target for such an angry female…with a weapon…

There was a whisper between Gabrielle and Xena, the shorter female relaxing into the arm that restrained her about the shoulders; she muttered something in return as the Warrior Princess lead her away…

Again, that indefinable look seemed to pass between Hercules…and…and Xena…And Iolaus felt something stir within his breast, something hot, dark and festering…

Had he taken the time to look, he would have seen the same look adorning Gabrielle's face…

~)0(~

"_Gabrielle, this isn't like you, calm down…_" whispered the strong voice in her ear, a firm, well-muscled arm snaked about her chest, restraining both arms...until her angered trembling stopped, the white knuckles clenching her battle-worn staff, slowly lessened and released their deadly grip.

She relaxed her stance back into the partial embrace of the leather-clad body, muttering softly in reply, "_I-I-…sorry Xena, I don't-…don't know why I-…" _she shook her head in disbelief and confusion, wondering why it was she had seemed so jealous in Iolaus' presence. Even now, the man only had eyes for Hercules, they shone as they beheld the Demi-God; who had seemingly done as Xena had, by bringing comfort and- wait…what was _that_ glance?

Before she could question what her own eyes had seen, the strong arm embracing her had already begun to move them away…she felt the same uncontrollable anger bubbling upwards to settle on her features…

~)0(~

Moonlight, pale and blue as the sea, spread out in the room like a gentle caress as it fell over the sleeping form by her side, this place…if it was to be believed, this was where Hercules had grown up…and was incredible in its design. Their hostess, Alcmene, was most gracious in allowing them the spare bedroom to share, though apologised that they were required to share a bed…for she had no others available.

She had thanked her most graciously, stating that sharing was no issue; it would not be the first time they had shared a bed, nor a blanket…but kept the secret of how pleased the arrangement made her, hidden deep within the leather-clad breast…mouth upturning into a small smile.

It was in moments like this, when she stared at the sleeping form of her travelling companion, and close friend…that she truly cherished; the way Gabrielle stretched out like a contented cat, silk sheets pooling about her form, how she made a contented sighing noise and smile at pleasant dreams…

Things Xena would never know of, dreams she would never have…Gabrielle was the Innocence to her Guilt, the Light to her Dark soul…and her nights were filled with either paralysing nightmares and memories, or, the more enticing and relaxing option of watching her blonde companion sleep…

It helped…it truly did, when she awoke in sweat and fear, heart pounding from some long-remembered evil deed she had perpetrated on the hundreds of thousands of innocents, in some long-destroyed village or town…to look over and see her slumbering companion so calm in the face of her terror… Or indeed, the nights when she awoke from such dreams to find blue eyes gazing at her in concern, or a soft, pale arm encircling her waist in comfort…

But tonight, her musings were cut short as she saw something that had never occurred before.

A serene face fell into shadow, the brow furrowed and a slender hand, extended to beyond her troubled face, clenched the sheets in something akin to fear; the knuckles white… Xena felt her heart give way when the blonde moaned in fear, calling for her softly and gasping.

Her eyes widened in alarm as Gabrielle began to thrash…

~)0(~

After a long, pointless argument, Hercules had _finally_ managed to convince Iolaus that he was most certainly _not_ going to spend the night on the floor, no matter _how comfortable_ the other claimed it would be…given a sheet or two…

Likewise, the shorter man had argued against the son of his hostess spending the night on the floor out of some misguided idea of hospitality…it was technically his room, after all… Finally, both agreeing not to steal to the floor the instant the other's back was turned; they were left with a problem…quickly solved as they always had done… The question of _who would get the bed_, swiftly changed into, _how will we both fit_?

As it turned out, both men could fit with ease, there was a quiet _thunk_ as Iolaus remembered his sword –after a particularily unique comment about him either wearing it, or being particularly excited about his friend's presence- and dropped it over the side, too tired to even place it down beside the bed. He fell asleep on his side, boots still on and hair mussed from the day…Hercules laughed softly at the others' antics, reaching over and carefully drawing out the dagger Iolaus had seemingly forgotten was stashed in his waistband.

He paused a moment, wondering at the design, for he had never seen it before…but tossed it to the floor all the same, a mystery for the morning if ever there was one…

The metal weapon clanged to the floor, it span through the air and landed on the wood, balancing on the point; just…hanging there as if suspended by invisible string…then it began to spin upon its point, slowly boring a hole in the floor…

Hercules stared at it in surprise; that _definitely_ wasn't normal…

Almost in complete synchronicity, the blonde at his side began to thrash and moan, fists clenching and unclenching at the sheets like he was drowning and they were the only means to save himself… Hercules jerked back, eyes wide in surprise, then lurched forwards and tried to still the frantic movement by grabbing the other's arms, pinning him to the bed with his above-human strength…it almost wasn't enough!

Straining off the bed, the blonde's face was one of complete horror and fear, the eyes snapped open for a mere second, glazed and unfocused; then the blue orbs were shut again, and the body grew slack...his name whispered longingly and seemingly in despair, through white lips…

From where he was, Hercules could hear the soft gasp of fear Xena let out, echoing out of the room nearby; the ringing clang as the dagger stopped, mid-rotation, and shuddered on the floor before stilling.

The rapid pulse under his fingers bespoke of great labour, the sweat that lathered the other's body cried out fear and flight…yet the Son of Zeus could find no true reason…but he knew a cry of alarm when he heard it. Xena…was she under this same magical attack, or was it her companion…Gabrielle? What _was_ happening here?

With a pained glance back at his limp friend…his beautiful, warm, bubbly friend who never seemed to be lost for a quip even in the most dire of situations…lay there almost without life, and yet he could do nothing, it seemed Xena was the one in need this instant…

Without another thought, he turned and ran into the other room…

~)0(~

Gabrielle twisted, turned and thrashed in her arms; a vague replica of the noise echoed from the other room, but she gave it no thought until, with a soft clang, her blonde companion fell limp to the bed…her lithe body lathered in sweat and heart racing like a runner's.

Hercules burst through the door without the courtesy of knocking…but for once, he would not be met with the deadly force of the Amazon Warrior, but the frightened face of one whose greatest, closest…friend, was in peril…

"You too?" he asked, she looked up sharply, skewering him with his gaze. "What do you mean? …Iolaus?" she questioned, eyes swiftly snapping back to the still form of Gabrielle, who remained breathing shallowly, like in a deep sleep. Eyes roving behind their lids; but face calm and devoid of all emotion…

~)0(~

Moments later they walked alone under the cool moon, Gabrielle and Iolaus having been carefully cooled with wet cloths and placed under the silk sheets on their respective beds, now empty of their concerned companions…

Their faces were serene now that the fear was gone; nothing but the occasional gasp or reflexive grasp of the sheet covering them to suggest it had ever been…

In silence, the pair wandered down the road from Alcmene's house, staring into the silent star-spangled world of night; they both shared the same fear, same concern, but did not know exactly in which manner to voice it…it simply didn't make sense… Sighing in frustration at the enforced lack of activity, though there was none to be had, Xena turned to her male counterpart and spoke, "This…has never happened before…what do you think it is?"

Hercules paused by a large rock wall, half built by himself, half by his father-in-law, Jason; he took a moment to think of words before they tumbled from his mouth… "I honestly don't know what's going on here, Xena. This is…I've never dealt with anything like this before…I'm tempted to blame Hera for this, but…the dagger… The Dagger makes no sense, if it was Hera I'm sure the room would have been so stuffed full of Peacock feathers we'd never see each other again, she's kind of smug like that…"

Xena smiled, "Well, then, there's only one other God I can think of who would be game enough to cross us both like this, you could almost say…he's family …" she started, and then the world went to Hades…

~)0(~

Awakening alone, the bed cold and empty, silk rasped at her suddenly sensitive skin like roughly hewn stone; Gabrielle slid from the bed with one thought on her mind, Xena. Her dreams had been full of death and fear, her heart racing as she fought to reach the Warrior Princess before she was cut down by sheer numbers, never making it in time.

But always the same one killed her…always the same man would bring Xena to her knees; the piercing blue eyes that called to her soul were always wide and pleading with her to turn away and not watch as the sword plunged down in the last moment…

Leaving her dead, lifeless body at his feet, the blood pooling in strange arcs and symbols…Always the same, always _him… Always-_

Iolaus. The name burned to even think it, fires of vengeance seared from her heart…

She had to find Xena…NOW!

~)0(~

Gleaming provocatively in the waning moonlight, his eyes were drawn to the dagger with the compulsive intent of a snake, tensing to strike prey; his hand lashed out with the same efficiency, grasping its hilt and sliding from the under the cold sheet, warmth leeched from the world by his vivid visions…

Hercules was dead. Always dead before he reached him through the throng of hundreds, some human, some monsters, and yet others a mix in between…all bloodthirsty, all cleaving at him with swords, claws and wicked-looking daggers dripping with the gore of battle…

He never made it in time to save his oldest friend, one he thought of…as a brother…and was forced to watch as the blonde she-demon tore his heart out, slit his throat and so many other horrifying, foul things…never looking away, never being able to avert his eyes by some strange power…

But he knew her face, he knew the would-be assassin…she lay in the next room; wait, no longer…for there was rustling also, Gabrielle was on the move it seemed…

Then so must he be, for he could not let her do what he foresaw…he left, dagger in hand, fully intending to slay the blonde companion to the Warrior Princess, and do whatever was necessary…to save Hercules' life…

~)0(~

From opposite ends of the house they stalked silently, eyes glimmering in the dark as they beheld the startled faces of Hercules and Xena, whilst they walked with one another under the Moon; both coming ever-closer to each other, courses parallel though they knew it not.

Close, ever closer, until the breeze stirred at a bush that separated them by inches, both froze, having glimpsed their enemy, seemingly stealing upon the one they sought to protect; were they there to slay them? _**It was possible**_, a tiny voice in their minds insisted; rage bubbling up from the pits of their stomachs, both seeming not to realise the emotion felt foreign, like it was not entirely their own.

The cold steel of the dagger gleamed between them, world paused in waiting as they stared; Xena's voice was crying out something to them, but words and rationality had fled, only basic instinct to protect what was theirs flared into conscious thought…what little of it there was.

Neither could be certain who leapt first, but both collided mid-air and struck glancing blows to the other; blood fell from both opponents, one from the swift slice of a dagger, the other bleeding as his opposition raked vicious nails down his face…

One would die, one would live, and no other outcome existed in their minds…

~)0(~

His eyes went wide, the Amazon at his side went rigid somehow sensing danger in a way only she could and turned; Iolaus and Gabrielle were launching themselves at one another, murderous intent in their eyes…a glancing blow from either side…

"Gabrielle, stop! It's Ares, he's trying to manipulate you!" cried the Warrior Princess as loud as she could, but it brooked no response from the combatants, who merely turned about to face one another again. Blood dripping down their faces…

Suddenly, he was moving, Xena at his side, keeping pace…they had to reach them, had to break them apart before they killed one another… But why? What had Ares shown them that had brought these two to this? From what Xena had spoken of Gabrielle, and what he knew to be true of Iolaus, they were so alike in wisdom, cheerfulness and generosity it seemed absurd to suggest they would attempt to kill one another…

~)0(~

She was moving again, and so was he…anticipating her next move, Iolaus hit the ground and rolled to the right…narrowly avoiding Gabrielle's knee slamming into his chest with enough force to break bone; for her part, she twirled in his direction and struck out. The blow struck him across the cheekbone, something gave way with a sickening snap, likewise he retaliated by swinging wildly with the dagger, to balance himself after such an attack.

The blade sunk deep within the flesh of her arm, blood ran down from the wound and all over his hand; some part of him screamed out it's horror, disgust, cried what he was doing was wrong and not of his own volition…his hand shook and dropped the dagger, where it lay on the earth, soiled with crimson liquid against the deep brown dirt.

Gabrielle wasted no time, spinning around, jamming her flat palm into his shoulder joint and twisting, which resulted in fire racing down the arm… Instinct had him snap out a kick, jarring her ribs until something snapped within; the other fell to her knees, but pushed upright and came forwards again, scooping up the dagger as she did so.

It swooped upwards and cut a wake of fire in his already broken cheek, tracing the growing bruise exactly; he batted it from her hand in a spontaneous move of fists, but Gabrielle deftly caught it in the other hand, blade first…it seemed to cause no great effort to ignore the large cut down the center of her palm… For she came at him in an instant, eyes flickering back towards where the others were approaching from…Iolaus tensed, suddenly feeling Hercules threatened had given him new energy.

They sprang for each other, weapon and fists outstretched…

~)0(~

Only to be snatched, mid-air, by strong, familiar arms that held them apart from one another; as they thrashed and fought to be free, to finish tearing the other apart, voices broke through the madness and blood-frenzy that was their reality…

~)0(~

Gabrielle scratched at her arms, kicking and struggling like a wild demon…Xena tried her best to stand firm and remain hold on the squirming Bard-turned-Warrior, as she fought to break free and tear Iolaus apart.

"Gabrielle, Gabrielle! Listen to me, this isn't you…it's Ares' doing! Stop fighting me, Gabrielle!" she shouted, over the top of Hercules' cries, as he called much the same to his companion… Slowly, surely, Gabrielle began to quieten; her struggles becoming more feeble with each passing second…until she stopped, a dead weight in her arms.

~)0(~

Even the strength of a Demi-God was not nearly enough to contain the struggling, thrashing blonde wildcat that was Iolaus, Hercules was reluctant to try and hold on any harder, his companion was already injured… Anything he did to restrain him might further dislocate the shoulder…

"Iolaus, stop fighting me! This isn't like you at all…and I don't blame you, Ares had a hand in it… Wait, stop struggling! It's me, Hercules!" he grunted each word as he struggled against the shorter man; only a few feet from him, Xena was having the same problem, but, almost in synch, the two started to calm. Eventually sagging into exhausted, injured creatures with little energy left to fight the one who held them, let alone each other…

~)0(~

Still, when they were lowered to the ground, Xena and Hercules kept a close eye on the pair and remained between them… "Ugh, Herc?" whispered Iolaus, "What- What- Why did I-?" he asked the world in general; looking over to Gabrielle and recoiling in horror. Blood dripped down her temple, she leant to one side and held her ribs; Xena was pressing a wad of cloth against the gaping wound he had inflicted using the dagger….

To be honest, between his dislocated shoulder, clawed face and broken, bruised and bleeding cheek, he wasn't faring too well either… "G-Gabrielle, I'm s-…" he tried to say, and hissed as a deep voice called in his mind, "**Do not apologise to her! She seeks to kill your beloved Hercules when your back is next turned, destroy her first and save him…or die!**" it commanded.

The fire had also re-kindled in Gabrielle's eyes, the voice had called to her too…muscles tensed, but as he sprang at her, Hercules grabbed his good arm, yanking him back to the ground; Xena bodily tackled Gabrielle to the ground and knelt gently on her. Both turned in unison and cried out, "ARES! Show yourself!"

Fire erupted in the air before them, manifesting in a surly looking God of War… "This, had better be good you two, you just destroyed my best source of entertainment for the evening…" he complained, like a child caught raiding the cupboards for a sweet; he strode over towards Gabrielle first, but Xena blocked his path… "Ah, Xena, care to join me again…like the old days?' he offered, smiling lewdly at her. She scowled, "Not if it was a choice between you and kissing Hera!" Xena hissed…

Ares pouted a little, shook out his black, godly mullet and walked over towards Iolaus, and was predictably met by Hercules… "Back off, brother," growled the Demi-God, arms crossed over his chest and a grim expression on his face…

"You spoil my fun! All I was doing was just amusing myself…and if I have to play on your little mortal friends' feelings in order to do so, so be it! You'd still get to keep one of them alive, I guess it would be the one that loved you the most…" he shrugged, godly mullet bouncing to and fro.

"All's not fair in Love and War, especially not if I have a say in it." He leered, striding so close Hercules could reach out and strike him, so great was his arrogance… Hercules squared his shoulders, "Not in this you don't, reverse what you did…NOW, I won't ask twice." He stated loudly. Ares just raised an eyebrow and smirked, crossing his arms in imitation of his brother…Hercules rethought his statement, "I said _I_ wouldn't ask twice…my fist is another matter entirely!" and the God of War was knocked a significant distance off to the far left of Xena and Gabrielle.

For good measure, Xena gave him a whole-hearted kick to the ribs, and he rolled with a loud exhale… "Fine, _stupid mortals_, can't you see I was doing you a favour?" he growled, bustling upright and brushing off the dirt and grime… "Geez, you can't take a joke, can you? I was merely going to see which of these two blonde babes of yours was most infatuated with you…seriously, the one that survived would always be yours…" his 'good-explanation' falling on deaf ears, Ares took a step back. "Fine, I'll fix the brats, just…don't tell Aphrodite I was messing around with this stuff or she'll probably curse me to love a Hydra for all eternity…"

It felt like something was missing from that explanation…

~)0(~

With a snap of his fingers, he was gone, and a wave of fire rushed over both Iolaus and Gabrielle; they gave quiet cries of surprise, the tiniest hint of pain, and were obscured for a moment…Xena felt her heart drop into her boots and knew Hercules felt the same, from the look on his face…

Two limp, blonde bodies sagged against the ground in blatant relief; and, upon closer inspection, appeared to be unconscious…Xena carefully lifted the newly healed Gabrielle in her arms and brushed at a stray hair that fell over her face. She placed a small kiss on the smaller female's forehead, struggling not to cry at knowing she was alive and well…

Holding Iolaus tightly to his chest, Hercules walked beside her as they made for the house…every so often he would glance down and hold him closer; Xena might have raised an eyebrow if it weren't for the fact she had taken to mirroring the exact same practice…

~)0(~

When she awoke there was an arm about her waist, holding her close; back flush against a warm surface…she groaned and stirred slightly, the arm withdrew and she mewled like a sad kitten… Xena's face appeared in her vision, "How're you feeling?" she asked, rubbing a gentle hand up and down her arm, still alarmed at how cold Gabrielle was…

"X-Xena? A-About what Ares s-said…I-…" she tried to say, tried to tell her what was in her heart or refute it in case their friendship was forever sundered…but Xena shushed her with a kiss to the side of her face, near the lightly bruised temple…it seems Ares had left a reminder mark.

"I know, Gabrielle…and, I'm sorry he used it against you, I should have told you that…forget it…" said the Amazon, making a face and pressing closer to the smaller body; Gabrielle turned, "Xena…how did you know it was Ares…?"

The Warrior Princess turned back, thoughtful, "Easy," she smiled, "It was-…"

~)0(~

"-the dagger; when it was spinning I could have sworn I saw fire and the mark of Ares…besides, it wasn't Hera this time, which obviously left…" Hercules mumbled, holding the smaller body closer…still cold, worrying, but not life-threatening. His eyes traced the light bruise down the other's cheek, grateful for once that Ares had only left that small reminder, and not the dislocated shoulder…placing that back in would have been torture for both of them…

Iolaus had awoken a moment earlier, Hercules pressing dry lips to the back of his neck, intentional or merely an involuntary connection as he turned in this small space they shared, it was impossible to tell… Still the arms about his waist had yet to be clarified into a significant reason that could either still his racing heart as it slowly died or bring joy to his world…

"Herc, about…what Ares said…?" he ventured, feeling Hercules put his hand on his shoulder, "Iolaus, I- Nevermind…Why did you attack Gabrielle like that, I know Ares lies, but…I never thought I'd see him convince you to murder Xena's companion."

Iolaus shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you see…"

~)0(~

"…-the dreams were so vivid I thought they were true, but always your death was at Iolaus' hands…and I just, just woke with a thirst for his blood…to protect you, Xena." Gabrielle explained, not looking directly at her companion for fear of rejection. Xena wrapped her tighter, "Don't be silly, I'm certain Ares showed Iolaus the exact opposite, besides, he awoke a-…"

~)0(~

"…-Blood Fire, only his most devoted servants, or those he toys with, ever experience it…don't worry about it, Xena's explaining the whole thing to Gabrielle as we speak…there is no blame here, Iolaus." He said gently, the Son of Zeus being very careful in his movements… "And Iolaus…? I feel the same way too…I-I love you…" he whispered, as if afraid of rejection; _definitely_ kissing the blonde's neck this time…

Iolaus was stunned and mildly incredulous, "Don't get me wrong, I've wanted you to say those words for so long…but, I thought…what about the glances between you and Xena?" he asked. Hercules actually began to laugh, "Oh, _that_…It was kind of a mutual-"

~)0(~

"-staking of a claim over you two, also a partial death threat…if Hercules had pursued you…" her voice was light, the threat implied…Gabrielle smiled, feeling warm and comfortable where she was now.

~)0(~

"-if Xena had tried to seduce you again…or hurt you…" the threat was implied, and Iolaus found himself smiling into the pillow provided…

Still, the bigger man moved closer as he turned to say what he had longed to say for many years… "Herc, I- I, love you…"

~)0(~

"Xena…I- I love you…" she whispered softly; the Warrior Princess smiled back, "I love you too, you crazy little blonde!" she laughed and kissed the other.

Around the Amazonian lips Gabrielle mumbled, "Was that a crack about my height…or my hair colour?" and they both laughed…

~)0(~

"Good job." Aphrodite looked up from her scrying pool at the newly-entered God of War, she tossed over a bag of gold, "I've been trying to get those two couples together for _ages_ and you do it in a night…sigh, how do you do it? Whatever, just…next time, maybe you could try a version where they don't try to kill each other…?" she suggested.

Ares looked up from the gold coin purse with a startled look on his face, "Next time…? Does that mean…?"

The Goddess of Love looked up, "Oh, right…" she snapped her fingers, "There you go! Now Discord won't be quite so scarily infatuated with you…see? All it takes is a little _inventive persuasion_ and you _can_ do good, brother!" she smiled as he disappeared with a half-smile, half-scowl on his features…

~)0(~

Hercules and Iolaus; Gabrielle and Xena; two destined to be couples spoke softly into the coming dawn…

And Aphrodite couldn't help but wonder how they would react if they had known, not only had Ares told the truth…but he had pretty much played their Cupid also…

She then had to spend the next several hours ogling the up-and-coming Olympic Athletes –for we all know those certain young men preferred the more 'natural' approach when it came to clothing, and so the Goddess of Love had (to coin the phrase) X-Ray vision for a time- in order to remove images of Ares holding a miniature bow and arrow, in nothing but a very loose sheet…

Below, on Earth, there were two new couples who couldn't care less, and a household full of oblivious people about to wake up to the greatest shock of their lives, should they attempt to awaken their guests early…

Aphrodite smiled and lazily draped a finger in the scrying pool, sometimes she just _loved_ her job…and despite his reluctance, Ares seemingly had too…

It's true what they say…All's Fair in Love and War…

_**THE END**_

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><p><strong>Hope you Enjoyed the Story, Please Review!^^<strong>

**Thankd for Reading!^^**


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